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Topic: Daniels Fund

American charitable foundation

  • Happy Birthday, America! Why Remembering Our Past is Integral to Our Future


    This year our country celebrates its 247th birthday – commemorating the 13 American colonies’ declaration of independence from Great Britain. The newly formed American republic was based on the idea that all people are created equal with fundamental, inalienable rights that cannot be taken or given away. As we continue to cherish our democracy and the American way of life, it’s worth remembering that its strength depends on our shared understanding of this country’s history and founding principles.  

    Sadly, civics knowledge has been waning for years, with many students unable to understand and explain how our government –and our civic society – actually work. According to a survey released this spring by the National Center for Education Statistics, just 22% of eighth-grade students were graded as “proficient” on a national civics assessment, a two point decline since 2018. It’s no understatement to say this downward trend of knowledge and understanding is dangerous for the health and survival of the American republic. 

    Fortunately, many philanthropists recognize this crisis exists and are dedicated to reversing its decline.  

    In April, Philanthropy Roundtable partnered with the Connelly Foundation and the Daniels Fund to host a National Civics Expo that highlighted 10 nonprofits (five Philadelphia-based, where the expo was located, and five nationally focused) that are doing exceptional work in elevating civics knowledge for students, teachers and parents.  


    Philadelphia-focused nonprofits: 

    The Union League Foundation 

    For 77 years, the Union League Foundation has hosted its Good Citizen Day program, providing an immersive experience in constitutional and civics education for high school students. The day culminates in a celebratory awards banquet, where each student is presented with a personalized Union League Good Citizenship Award. Over 18,000 young men and women have been celebrated and educated. 


    Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge 

    Located in historic Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the Foundation seeks to preserve American patriotism and civic duty by providing high-quality history and civics opportunities, including seminars, workshops and site visits for students and educators. Students from across the country come to the Foundation to engage in the study of the principles of our Constitution and focus on understanding the U.S. political, social and economic system and the responsibilities of good citizenship. 


    Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement 

    By supporting K-12 teachers and administrators to advance the learning of U.S. history, government and civics, the Rendell Center is restoring the civics mission of schools. The Center’s programs include hands-on, experiential learning activities like its Citizenship Challenge, an essay contest for fourth and fifth graders that provides an opportunity for students to express themselves on a current issue facing our democracy. The organization also offers literature-based mock trials, which combine literacy and civics to provide K-8 students with “the knowledge and disposition of engaged citizens.” 


    National Constitution Center (NCC) 

    Located on Philadelphia’s historic Independence Mall, the NCC brings the Constitution to life for people of all ages, nationalities and perspectives through “its interactive exhibits, rare documents and artifacts, moving theater programs and educational activities.” Last fall, NCC launched Constitution 101, a full online core curriculum for high school students designed “to provide a basic understanding of the Constitution’s text, history, structure and case law.” The Center is currently developing an edition for middle school students. 


    Museum of the American Revolution (MoAR) 

    The newest addition to the history and civics landscape in Philadelphia and the nation, the MoAR opened in 2017 and “owns a collection of several thousand objects including artwork, sculpture, textiles, weapons, manuscripts and rare books.” Operating under the belief that civics education is most effective with a lived experience-centered approach, MoAR focuses on powerful storytelling about “people in predicaments” and developing historical empathy. 


    National organizations scaling and building their programs: 

    Bill of Rights Institute (BRI) 

    With a network of 70,000 history and civics educators, thousands of classroom-ready history and civics resources and annual student and teacher programming, BRI equips students and teachers to “live the ideals of a free and just society.” By 2026, BRI plans to increase its teacher network to 100,000 educators who will “teach 10 million students each year,” and in 2024, will release a “digital resource in civics that emphasizes civil society and constitutionally limited government.” 


    Jack Miller Center (JMC) 

    Partnering with faculty, administrators and donors to change the way college and high school students learn about the history and principles at the heart of American political life, JMC aims to “bring our nation’s history and founding principles back into the minds and hearts of young Americans.” JMC is developing a Civics Consortium master’s degree, which will improve graduate education for civics teachers and strengthen the teaching of America’s founding. 


    American Legion Boys State 

    Founded in 1935 “to counter socialism-inspired Young Pioneer Camps,” Boys State “participants learn their rights, privileges and responsibilities as citizens and participate in legislative sessions, court proceedings, law-enforcement presentations, assemblies, bands, choruses and recreational programs.”  Active in each state for over 85 years, the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted its student engagement, and the American Legion is working to rebuild its reach throughout the country. 


    Institute for Citizens & Scholars 

    Urban and rural areas are the largest civics deserts in the country. With that in mind, the Institute is launching a Civic Innovation Fund to provide early-stage capital to entrepreneurs with big ideas on how to ensure 14- to 18-year-olds in these overlooked regions are civically well-informed. Bringing together innovators from the left, right and center, the Institute is building an ecosystem to develop and test new ideas to increase civic understanding. 


    Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) 

    Established in 2019 as a statewide debate program focused on civics education, the FCDI creates access and opportunities for all students in this arena. Their programming uses “debate specifically as a tool to enrich civics education” and benefits from incredibly strong support from state leaders. The program has grown exponentially over the past three years and is now ready to work with other states to scale beyond Florida. 

    In the words of Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s founding fathers and its third president: “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. … They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.” Indeed, civics education is fundamental to our nation’s future, and as we celebrate Independence Day, Philanthropy Roundtable applauds the organizations working to advance education on this vital topic.  

    For more information on how to help protect and support the American values that strengthen our free society, please reach out to Clarice Smith, program director at Philanthropy Roundtable.  

  • Nonprofits Transforming Civics Education Worth Celebrating on Presidents Day

    Presidents Day was originally a commemoration of George Washington’s birthday. He considered civic virtue to be essential, saying in his famous Farewell Address, “Virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government,” and to Marquis Lafayette that the government “can never be in danger of degenerating into a monarchy, an oligarchy, an aristocracy, or any other despotic or oppressive form; so long as there shall remain any virtue in the body of the people.”  

    This Presidents Day, Philanthropy Roundtable is celebrating by highlighting donors and organizations that are championing civics education that inform citizens, protect democracy and create a safe, enduring society. 

    Equipping Teachers: While schools traditionally incorporate civics education as part of their curriculum, many teachers lack opportunities to gain expertise in civics content or ideas for how to best engage their students with it. Here are two initiatives that are working to fill this gap. 

    • American Civics and History Initiative (ACHI), is an ambitious initiative by three major civic education organizations: the Bill of Rights Institute (BRI), the Jack Miller Center (JMC), and the Ashbrook Center. ACHI’s purpose is to reach 680,000 students by training 6,800 teachers in Florida over the next two years. ACHI’s trainings are designed to “empower educators through rich, content-based programs and resources” they can use in the classroom. ACHI would not be possible without the involvement of the Jack Miller Family Foundation, which is funded by Florida-based philanthropist Jack Miller. Miller brought together BRI, JMC and Ashbrook, and now is facilitating ACHI not just by writing checks, but by acting as a partner in the initiative, along with the Marcus Foundation, funded by philanthropist Bernie Marcus. 

      Learn more in the Roundtable’s interview with ACHI’s funders and grantees. 
    • Georgia Center for Civics Engagement (GCCE), “has been working to help fill gaps in civics education among the state’s young people through programs that promote self-esteem, leadership skills and a sense of responsibility for oneself and the greater community.” First, GCCE uses a train-the-trainer approach in providing quality professional development and curricular resources that are aligned with the state educational standards to enhance quality instruction. Secondly, they provide students with opportunities to participate in simulated governmental proceedings like mock elections, model United Nations and legislative meetings. The success and popularity of GCCE’s programs has inspired other states, including Kansas and Arkansas, to replicate GCCE’s model. 

      Learn more about GCCE by reading the Roundtable’s interview with GCCE’s CEO, Dr. Randell Trammell. 

    Student Opportunities: While acquiring civic knowledge is essential, students also need engaging ways to apply their knowledge to the real world. These donors and organizations are partnering to provide students with these experiences:  

    • The National Civics Bee is an annual competition that encourages young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Supported by the Daniels Fund and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Civics Bee challenges middle school students to apply their civics knowledge for a chance to win recognition and prizes provided by the local community. The goal is to awaken the possibility that civics engagement can make this country a better place. Instead of being organized by schools, civics bees live at local chambers of commerce who encourage the entire community to get involved in this important effort. 

      Learn more from Daniel’s Fund President and CEO Hanna Skandera on how civics bees can help today’s students get excited about our nation’s history. 
    • JA BizTown, a Junior Achievement USA program (JA USA), blends teacher-led sessions with experiential learning. The fourth through sixth grade students prepare for their JA BizTown experience by participating in a series of classroom lessons where they learn about financial literacy, community and economy, work readiness and business management, all through a civics lens. Each student selects a career, creates a business plan, develops a marketing campaign and elects a mayor. The students then take their newly acquired skills to JA BizTown. At the “town,” which consists of a variety of businesses, a municipal building, a radio station and banks, the students get hands-on experience as employees and consumers by paying rent, buying insurance, depositing paychecks and more. Due to the encouragement of longtime supporter The Marcus Foundation, JA USA added content to their program to increase the civics knowledge and experience for those who participate in JA BizTown programming.  

      You can learn more about JA BizTown and their partnership with The Marcus Foundation here. 

    Building a Healthy Civic Culture: Civic knowledge and skills obtained in the classroom are important, but all citizens also need to be equipped with a mindset to constructively engage with those with whom they disagree. Here are organizations and initiatives focused on this uniting effort. 

    • Braver Angels seeks to unite America by bridging the divide among liberals, conservatives and others by helping these groups understand each other as fellow citizens, beyond the stereotypes. To reduce the “vitriol that poisons our civic culture,” Braver Angels hosts workshops, debates, campus engagement and other positive activities at the grassroots level to form community alliances. The Sumners Foundation is a key supporter of the Braver Angels work in Texas.  

      Read more about Braver Angels and their depolarization efforts here. 
    • Constitution Drafting Project, created by the National Constitution Center with support from philanthropist Jeff Yass, brought together three teams of leading constitutional scholars in 2020: team libertarian, team progressive and team conservative, to draft and present their ideal constitutions, according to their website. The National Constitution Center later reconvened the teams for a virtual constitutional convention to draft and propose a series of amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The result was five new amendments adopted by representatives from all three teams. The project demonstrates how those of opposing viewpoints can civilly disagree as well as work together to find points of consensus. 

      You can watch the Roundtable’s interview with Jeff Yass, NCC president Jefferey Rosen and the leaders of the respective drafting teams. 

    Philanthropy Roundtable believes a robust civics education is essential to promoting and preserving good citizenship, which is crucial for the health and future of our nation. In 1776, future President John Adams warned of the importance of enduring virtue in a letter to his cousin, Zabdiel Adams: 

    “The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our people, in a greater measure than they have it now, they may change their rulers, and the forms of government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty. They will only exchange tyrants and tyrannies.”